Past projects 34
Document Camera and Drawing Tool
Funded Apr 22, 2021The 2020-2021 school year was definitely one for the books. We began the year teaching from home, 100% virtual. Teaching art fully online was very challenging. I tried to make all my lessons transparent as possible. I would teach the lesson live, then post written steps, examples, helpful videos, videos I made of me doing the entire lesson and yet there were still students falling behind.
Once we approached April, we were told May would begin hybrid instruction. This would lead to even more of a challenge. Trying to teach the students who chose to remain home virtually while teaching the few students who came to school for in person learning at the same time. Around this time is when I received my document camera and drawing tool funded through donors choose. This was a game changer!
Receiving these tools allowed me to present a lesson to both in person students as well as those at home at the same time. And the best thing was that they could actually see what I was doing in real time! I could zoom in and show details of something or go over one part again so that students could grasp it better. Thanks to the wonderful donors who donated my project this was a wonderful way to end the year and enhance my students learning.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seervai
Pins for a Cause
Funded Feb 12, 2021On February 12, 2021, my most recent donors choose project, "Pins for a Cause" was fully funded. I was planning on waiting until a donor's match day came up to use a gift card I had to help fully fund this project. To my surprise it was fully funded in less than one month of it being posted! This has been my fasted funded project yet. I felt so excited and grateful when I received the notification.
At this time, my school district is still 100% virtual so we will not be able to use the pin machine and hole punch that was funded until we return to school. There is a potential return to school on May 3, 2021 for hybrid instruction. If the board approves this reopening, we may have a chance to use it before the end of the school year.
I like to give my students the freedom to create what they like so there will be no specific theme or style for the first time they are able to make pins. When we make more in the future, I may have them come up with a patterned background with inspiring quotes that we could sell as a fundraiser to raise more money for supplies. No matter if we return in May or September, the students in Art Club will be able to create tiny works of art and display them proudly on their clothing, bookbags, and purses with our newly inquired pin machine thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seervai
Wood Burning Unit Supplies
Funded Sep 29, 2020On September 29, 2020 I was surprised and excited to find that the materials for my "Wood Burning Unit Supplies" project on Donors Choose got fully funded! The Wood Arts unit is always a favorite amongst my Crafts and Ceramics 2 students. Unfortunately supplies needed to run this unit are not available through the school's classroom supply vendor. So, yet another semester comes, and I turn to donors choose resulting in many blessings by generous donors. With the supplies received, students will now be able to create their own unique wood burning compositions when we return to in person learning.
This school year has been a very interesting and challenging time to teach. Since September, we have been in a fully virtual classroom setting. This has made it extremely hard to teach things like ceramics and other practical arts where students do not have access at home to supplies, they would need. Unfortunately, the supplies funded in this project will have to wait to be used until in-person learning resumes. The current re-opening for hybrid learning has a tentative date for May 3rd 2021.
If re-opening goes as planned, students in Crafts and Ceramics 2 will use the wood and wood burners funded to create beautiful pyrographic compositions. Usually students in this course are introduced to basic wood burning techniques and create one to two wood burning compositions of any subject they choose. We then display their finished pieces in the hallway display case for the whole school to see. They always get so many compliments! This will all be possible now thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seervai
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose 20th Anniversary Fund and 7 other donors.Crafts and Ceramics Tools
Funded Aug 13, 2019Around the second week of September, I received all supplies funded for the "Crafts and Ceramics Tools" project I had posted on Donors Choose during the spring. Everything had arrived just in time for the start of the new school year. Being in a new learning space this year, students were excited to learn that they would also be able to use some new supplies to create their ceramic projects in addition to the older ones we use each semester.
Supplies received included clay, rubber ribs for smoothing the clay, needle tools for drawing designs into clay, wooden ribs for use on the potter's wheel and wood burning tools. The clay and clay tools will be used to create various hand building projects during the clay unit both this semester in Crafts and Ceramics 1 as well as next semester in Crafts and Ceramics 2. Being that it is fall, the first clay project the students will create will be pinch pot pumpkins. They will now be able to use the rubber ribs to smooth the conjoined pinch pots that make the pumpkin shape as well as the needle tool to draw on their unique jack-o-lantern style face before cutting it out.
Next semester in Crafts and Ceramics 2, students will continue to explore the practical arts learned in Crafts and Ceramics 1 but with the addition of being introduced to the art of wood burning. Previously classes of 16-24 have had to share 8 wood burning tools to make their work. With the tools received from this Donors Choose project, students will now have six more brand new wood burners to create their compositions with. Overall, my students and I are beyond grateful for receiving the crafts and ceramic tools funded by the many generous donors through Donors Choose.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seervai
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.Wood-Working Tools
Funded May 24, 2018Around the last week of May, I received all supplies funded for the wood arts project I had been envisioning since the start of the semester. Everything arrived just in time for the start of the the wood arts unit that would not have been possible without the tools and wood received. When students first saw all the supplies they were very excited. At that point it was almost the end of the year and receiving the funds for the supplies seemed uncertain. Once they arrived students were excited and eager to partake in wood burning, an art form most were unfamiliar with.
After receiving a square piece of wood, students were asked to create a design or composition of their choice taking up the entire wood slab. They first drew on their design using pencil. When satisfied they then used the wood burning irons to burn in their design. For being their first time creating a wood burning composition, I was very impressed by all of their designs!
For the new school year, I have ordered different shaped wood slabs as well as wood scraps. One project I may try this semester is having the students create a name plaque on the shaped wood slabs using the wood burning irons. With the scraps of wood, I want to allow the students to experience wood carving using the carving tools received from this project as well. There was not enough time at the end of the school year last year to use them. Overall, my students and I are beyond grateful for receiving the wood arts supplies funded through Donors Choose and are thrilled to be able to experience an unfamiliar art form that would not be possible without all of you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seervai
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 4 other donors.Stained Glass
Funded Feb 5, 2016Before the second semester started, I had received my new stained glass supplies from DonorsChoose.org. I was extremely excited being that the supplies from the first semester had just run out! Receiving the solder and cutting tools allowed for this semester's classes to successfully construct their own unique stained glass compositions. After I explained the situation to my class, they were also very excited and grateful to know that there were kind hearted people out there who donated their own funds to support our class supplies.
The course this project is created in is called Crafts and Ceramics I. During the stained glass unit, students learn about the history and process of creating a stained glass composition. To create their work, students first had to sketch out or print out a template, number each individual piece and begin cutting and shaping glass to fit into each numbered section. This is where the cutting tools supplied by the three wonderful donors came to play. After each piece was cut and shaped, the students then wrapped each piece with copper foil tape and painted on the flux. Lastly, the students then used the solder, also supplied by the three donors to attach each piece of glass together. Without these supplies, this project would have never been possible.
Since we finished the stained glass unit, we have currently moved on to the Fiber Arts unit. During the Fiber Arts unit, students get to experience such projects as radial weaving, tapestry weaving, batik dyeing, creating a pillow and tie dyeing. At this very moment, students have finished batik dyeing their fabric and are sewing their pillows together. They also had the opportunity to bring in a white or light colored t-shirt to tie dye. We will soon start the final unit, metal and wire arts/jewelry. In sum, Crafts and Ceramics I is a practical arts focused class where students of Trenton Central High School – VPA have the opportunity to create various hands on three-dimensional works of art including book arts, ceramics, mosaics, stained glass, fiber arts, metal arts and jewelry.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seervai